Hypatia

Date of Birth: c. 360 AD

Zodiac Sign: Unknown

Date of Death: 415 AD

Biography

Hypatia was a renowned Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, who lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries AD. She was born in Alexandria, Egypt, which was then a part of the Roman Empire. Hypatia is often considered one of the first notable female mathematicians and made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. She was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a well-known mathematician and philosopher, who educated her in these disciplines. Hypatia became a prominent educator and the head of the Neoplatonic school in Alexandria, where she taught philosophy and astronomy. Her eloquence and knowledge drew students from all over the Mediterranean. She was known for her charisma and ability to engage in public discourse, which earned her respect in a male-dominated society. Her works primarily included commentaries on Diophantus’s “Arithmetica” and Apollonius’s “Conics,” and she is also believed to have invented several scientific instruments, including the astrolabe and the hydrometer. Hypatia’s life came to a tragic end in 415 AD when she was murdered by a mob of Christian zealots, marking a significant point in the decline of classical pagan philosophies.

5 Interesting Facts about Hypatia

1. Hypatia was the first recorded female mathematician and philosopher.

2. She was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, who was a prominent mathematician and philosopher.

3. Hypatia headed the Neoplatonic school of philosophy in Alexandria.

4. She made significant contributions to mathematics, particularly in the development of the astrolabe and the hydrometer.

5. Hypatia’s murder by a Christian mob is often cited as a symbolic end of the classical world and the beginning of the Middle Ages.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Hypatia

1. “Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.”

2. “Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fantasies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing.”

3. “All formal dogmatic religions are fallacious and must never be accepted by self-respecting persons as final.”

4. “Life is an unfoldment, and the further we travel the more truth we can comprehend. To understand the things that are at our door is the best preparation for understanding those that lie beyond.”

5. “In fact men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for a living truth – often more so, since a superstition is so intangible you cannot get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable.”